Indicator for use in card games



Sept. 23 |924.

J. P. STEVENS INDICATOR FOR USE 1N CARD GAMES Filed May 21. 1923 mw Mm um 11G JMU af K11 7 w l w @L ,n -.2 WWMZ@ @Vw W Patented Sept. 23, 1924.

J'OSIAH PERCI'VAL STEVENS, OF ATL-ANTA, GEORGIA.

INDICATOR FOR USE IN CARD GAMES.

Application led May 21, 1923.

T 0 all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JosIAI-r P. STEVENS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Atlanta, in the county of Fulton and State of Georgia, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Indicators for Use inCard Games; and I do hereby declare the following to be'a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates toimprovements in indicators for use incard games and consists in certain improvements over the devicedescribed and claimed in my copending application SerialI Number634,198, filed April 28, 1923, patented J une 24, 1924, No. 1,499,259. o

The present invention has substantially the same purposes and objects asthe former `device namely to provide an indicator for use at card tablesto point to the next dealer and being operable in conjunctionwith thepencil with which the score is kept.

As was pointed out in the prior patent, a great deal of dissensionarises from the fact that track is often lost of where the deal lies andit is a general object of the invention to unmistakably point out thenext dealer mechanically while providing a holder for the scorerspencil.

The present invention aims to provide over the prior device certainsimplifications in the construction and arrangement of the parts whichrender the operation easier, the cost cheaper and the device moreattractive and less complicated.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be morefully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed outin the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like or correspondingparts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a device Aconstructed according to thepresent invention.

Figure 2 is a similar view with the cover removed.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of thel device with the cover removed andwith the parts in an initial position.

Figure 4 is a similar-'view with a pencil inserted in the holder and theparts shown in a subsequent position.

Serial N'o. 640,452.

Figure 5 is a plan view with parts broken away similar to Figure 2showing an intermediate position of the parts, and

Figure 6 is a similar view showing the final position of the parts.

Referring more particularly to the drawings 8 designates a base plateupon which thevarious parts of the device are mounted, the plate beingpreferably of thin metal in order to form an attractive article, lendthe necessary weight to the device and provide an appropriate stand forresting upon the card table beside the pad upon which the score of thegame is kept.

If desired a flanged or cupped cover 9 may be provided in conjunctionwith the base plate'1,'the cover being inverted soV thatv its openportionrests upon the base plate, its flanges forming substantiallyvertical walls, and its closed part being uppermost and provided withsuitable indicia for designating the various players making up the cardparty. For instance as shown, the cover plate is divided into quadrantswhich are marked off bythe numerals 1, 2, 8 and 4. The cover may besecured removably to the base plate by appropriate means and a pointeror hand 10 of suitable ornamental conguration is adapted to move abovethe cover plate, and this pointer partakes of a rotary movement vaboutthe quadrants, each successive phase of the movement being in steps ofapproximately 90 degrees in order that the pointer will progress fromone of the designating numerals to a position opposite the nextsubsequent .'numeral.

It is to -be understood however that the cover 9 may be entirelydispensed with as the pointer itself will point to and indicate thevarious four players in the card game. The cover serves to exclude dustand other foreign Vmatter from the moving parts and is desirable as aprotection.

The base plate is provided at its rear central portion with an extensionlug 11 lying beyond the cover, and forming a support for the cylindricalholder or barrel 12 which is of appropriate diameter to looselyreceivethe pencil with which the score is kept, the pencil beingindicated at 13 in dotted lines in Figure 4. The upper end of the barrelor pencil holder is not enlarged but its interior wall is 'slightlybeveled or tapered, as indicated at 14 to serve as a guide forfacilitating the introduction of the pencil into the device.v The pencilholder and adjacent Wall of the casing are providedin Figures 2 and 3, apencil is inserted in With alining slots 15 and 16 respectively to admitof the sliding movement therethrough of an actuating head 17 providedwith a tapered outer Wall 18 forming an inclined plane which extendsinto the socket or barrel 12 except when the pencil 13 is inserted. Thehead 17 forms part of a sliding bar 19 passing through guide slots 20and 21 in the vertical legs 22 and 23 of a stirrup which is mountedcentrally upon the base plate 8, the Walls of the stirrup beingconnected by a substantially horizontal bar 24 serving in conjunctionWith the base plate to support the shaft 25 Which carrie-s the pointeror index 10.

The shaft is located slightly to the side of the reciprocating bar 19and the shaft carries a straight-faced disc 26 secured lixedly theretoand projecting` slightly into a slotted part 27 of the reciprocating bar19. This slotted part 27 is made intermediately of the bar 19 andextends substantially half Way through the upper edge thereof. At theVrear end of the slot is an upstanding pin 28 spaced from the rear Wallof the slot in order to admit therebetween a leaf spring 29V carried bya post 30 fixed to the base S near one edge thereof or remote from thereciprocating bar. Y

The spring 29 is biased to the position indicated in Figure 2normallyurging the reciprocating bar 19 to the right. rlhe leaf spring 29cooperates with a companion leaf spring 31 extending substantially par-A allel therewith and in fact perfectly forming an integral' portion ofthe leaf spring 29, the tivo leaf springs being produced from the endportions of the same piece of material and having their intermediatepart clamped in the'divided end of the post 30. The free end portion ofthe spring 31 rests lightly against the straight faces of the disc 26 inorder to normally hold the disc with the spring extending entirely incontact with one of the faces. This position is shown in Figures 2 and6. The disc of course may be a square as shown or may be composed of anygreater or less number of faces in accordance` With the number of theplayers to be indicated.

A spring arm 32 is carried by the head 17, being aflixed to the head asindicated at 33. The spring is olf set from the side Wall of lthe head17 as indicated in Figures 2, 5 and 6 in order to permit of the lateralyielding of the spring from its pivot point The spring is also providedwith an off set part 34 enabling the free end 32 of the spring to extendinto the slot 27 of the reciprocating bar 19 and'to engage the adjacentface of the disc 26 at a point olf center or near the adjoining edgethereof.

Now Vin the operation of the device assuming the parts to be in theposition shown the socket or barrel 12. As the pencil pushed down itencounters the inclined plane 18, forcing the head 17 over to the left.As this is accomplished, the spring turns the disc 2G and they shaft 25,the spring 31 yielding and permitting this movement. The spring turnsthe disc for about oneeighth of a revolution whereupon the corner of thedisc Which is wiping over the spring 31 gets past the center and thespring 31 thereupon completes the angular turn of the disc 2G by forcingover this corner portion. Both springs 32 and 31 encountei` the sideface of the disc and bring it to rest yieldably and gradually and makethe movement of the parts noiseless while insuring that they arearrested at the proper point. The movement is accomplished with verylittle friction. The spring 29 restores the parts to the originalposition as soon as the pencil 13 is withdrawn for the purpose ofsetting down the score.

It will be seen that the pointer will therefore indicate the dealer asthe score is set doivn after each hand of play.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made in thedetails of construction and design of the above specifically describedembodiment of this invention Without departing from the spirit thereof,such changes and modifications being restricted only by the scope ofthek following claims.

'Vhat is claimed is 1. An indicator for card dealers and the likecomprising a rotary pointer, a disc in fixed relation thereto having(lat sides, reciprocating means acting off-center against the flat sidesof the disc for initiating the rotary movement therein, and resilientkeeper means associated with the disc and adapted to bear against thefiat sides thereof, said keeper means acting to take up and complete themovement of the disc and pointer and acting further to arrest the discat the end of its movement.

2. An indicator for card dealers and the like comprising a pointer, ashaft therefor, a disc having straight sides secured fixedly to theshaft, a reciprocating bar having a yieldablc spring in position toengage a fiat side of the disc off center whereby to initiate aAmovement in the disc, and a flat spring bearing yieldably against astraight side of the disc and adapted to engage a corner of the discWhen off center to complete the rotary movement thereof.

3. An indicator for card dealers and the like comprising a base, anupright socket. erected on the base and having a slot therein, saidsocket adapted to receive a pencil, a bar mounted to reciprocate on thebase and having an inclined end for projecting through the slot in thesocket to be encountered by the pencil, means on the base for guidingthe sliding movement of the bar, a shaft erected on the base, indicatingmeans carried by the shaft, a fiat sided disc affixed to the shaftadjacent the bar, a yieldable arm carried by said bar and adapted toengage the disc off-center whereby to initiate rotary movement in thedisc and shaft on movement of the bar in one direction, means foryieldably holding the bar in an initial position With the inclined endthrust into the socket, and a spring having its free end engagingagainst the flat sides of the disc and adapted to have friction andsilently complete the movement of the disc and bring the disc to a stop.

4. An indicator for card dealers and the like comprising a base, a frameon the base, a bar mounted to reciprocate substantially horizontally onthe base and being guided on the frame, a socket for a pencil standingsubstantially upright on the base and having a slot receive one end ofsaid bar,

said end of the bar being inclined whereby reception of a pencil in thesocket Will shift the bar, means for yieldably holding the bar With theinclined end of the socket, said bar having an intermediate cut-outportion, a shaft journaled in said base and frame, indicating meansassociated with the shaft, a flat sided disc affixed to the shaft andprojecting through the cut-out portion in the bar, a spring arm havingone end secured to the bar near the inclined end thereof, said springprojecting substantially parallel with the bar and having an end portionoff-set through the slot part of the bar and adapted to engage at itsfree extremity With the flat sided disc olf the center of the shaft, anda second flat spring bearing at its end portion against the flat sidesof the disc and adapted to partially turn the disc and to stay therotary movement of the disc When the Hat side thereof engages the freeend portion of said second dimension spring.

JOSIAH PERCIVAL STEVENS.

